We May Get a New César Chávez Park

The National Park Service today recommended a new national historical park to honor César Chávez and the Farm Labor Movement.

The park service, which has been working hard lately to combat its vanilla reputation, suggested the park in response to a request from Congress to study sites related to the renowned labor leader’s life.

They called for the existing Chávez National Monument in Keene, California, which President Obama created about a year ago, to serve as the “cornerstone” of the new park. The area includes the labor leader’s home and the headquarters of the United Farm Workers of America.

The new park would really be a series of places that hold special significance when it comes to telling Chávez’s story. Five sites total – four in California and one in Phoenix, Arizona – would be included in the new park. The service also recommends creating a network of other sites that “would help preserve resources and tell important stories outside of the national historical park.”

“César Chávez was one of the most important labor and civil rights leaders of the 20th century, and the Farm Movement he led improved the lives of millions of agricultural workers,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis said in a statement. “Sites associated with his life and the movement he led are an important part of American history and should be included in the National Park System not only to honor his legacy but also to ensure that future generations learn about what the movement accomplished.”

Congress will ultimately have to approve the recommendation for the new park to become a reality.

Emily DeRuy is a Washington, D.C.-based associate editor, covering education, reproductive rights, and inequality. A San Francisco native, she enjoys Giants baseball and misses Philz terribly.